Despairing Redemption
by T'laren
Summary: Elk longs for Mia when she hasn't logged into 'The World' for a while. UPDATED! Yes, there's been a ratings bump, deal with it. If you're no longer old enough to read it, tough.
1. Lost And Found

I decided to do this one after I saw how close Mia and Elk are, so for those who like those two, here you go! Oh, and as for my two cents on the whole Aromatic Grass thing, I don't think it's weed at all... I think it's catnip!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, sorry. Wish I did though!  
  
Despairing Redemption  
  
Elk looked around Delta, Theta and Lamda servers, searching for some sign of Mia. He searched field after field, went back to all three Root Towns time and time again, even e-mailed Kite and Moonstone for any sign of her. He got ahold of the former because he always took himself and Mia along together and Elk contacted the latter because he knew if anyone would be discreet in investigating, it would be the red and black-clad ninja Twin Blade. The pair e-mailed him back, both with no sign of her.  
  
As the days, then weeks passed, Elk grew more despondent and reclusive, losing himself in his depression. Finally, Elk collapsed in the corner where he and Mia hung out in Mac Anu, crying hysterically.  
  
"I want Mia back! I want to see her, touch her fur, smell her scent, watch her face light up when I give her Aromatic Grass... ... I.. I want to see my Mia again!!" Elk sobbed out, then curled up in a small ball, crying.  
  
"You really feel that way about me Elk?" said a quiet, shocked voice. Elk's head shot up as Mia came around the corner, wearing a surprised look on her face.  
  
"M-Mia!" Elk said, scrambling to his feet and rushing at her, hugging her tightly, "Mia, I missed you so much.."  
  
"My poor Elk... I'm sorry to have worried you kitten... A lot of crap came up in RL all at once and I couldn't get away to even tell anyone what was going on... please kitten, forgive me" Mia purred, stroking Elk's hair.  
  
"I forgive you Mia... I forgive you... Please don't leave me again" Elk whispered.  
  
"I won't ever leave you again, my kitten... do you know how that's possible?" she asked and Elk shook his head in reply. Mia took a piece of paper out of a hip pocket in her outfit and passed it to him. "My address in real life... I'm logging out in a few minutes, because I'm going to wait for you at home" she said by way of explanation.  
  
Elk examined the address and his eyes widened. "Mia, I only live about 10 minutes from you!" he choked out.  
  
"Well well... how's that for convience?" Mia replied with a smile, "I'm logging out now, see you soon kitten..."  
  
Amd with that, Mia gated out. Elk shook like a leaf, then let out a whoop of joy, cheering until he was hoarse, then looked down at the address one more time, committing it to memory, then raced to Elf's Haven, put it in storage and gated out as well.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
At the same time in a shadowed corner, Kite and Moonstone shook hands, knowing that the real life relationship between those two was long overdue.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Ten minutes later...  
  
There came a knock at the door, and the 26-year-old hazel-eyed brunette got off the couch, stretching cat-like, a habit she'd subconsciouly picked up from playing her character, and went to the door, opening it to reveal a shy black-haired, brown-eyed 14-year-old.  
  
"Mia?" he asked timidly. The woman smiled, opening the door wider.  
  
"C'mon in here Elk, we have a lot to talk about, kitten..." she replied. Elk came inside and Mia shut the door...  
  
Where things went from there, only Mia and Elk know for certain, and they certainly aren't telling!  
  
Finished: 5-24-03Last Modified: 5-24-03 


	2. Sleepover at Mia's

Despairing Redemption Part 2  
  
Yo, T'laren here! YES you read right, this is the second chapter to Despairing Redemption! To let all you reviewers know, I'm going to have an Author's Notes after this chapter to respond to you guys (and gals).  
  
And to appease you Canon Zombies, I'd like e-mail input on what exactly you think is Canon for both Mia and Elk! (And please, PLEASE don't say Kite and Elk are Canon, I'd like to see you actually back that one up). Speaking of e-mail input, I want reasoning from the people who said this fic was AU. . . I want valid, logical proof that this relationship cannot exist outside of The World.  
  
A warning: THIS IS FLUFFY!  
  
Oh, one last note to Andy: Yes, I looked at Mia's blade. . . it's the 8 Phase sword, what's your point?  
  
Alright, I'll shut up! On with the fic!  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Mia stroked Elk's hair as they watched the morning shows: Cartoons, news, infomercials, talk shows, and more. After that, they just cuddled, until Elk looked into Mia's eyes.  
She noticed his look and smiled, pulling a blanket over him and herself as she passed him a Playstation 4 controller and took one for herself, turning on the system and watching it read the disc and fire up the intro screen in about 15 seconds.  
"This game is really good, Mia. I thought shooters like this didn't exist anymore" Elk commented after a few minutes of gameplay.  
"They don't, little kitten. It's been revamped from way back in the day to be great again" Mia replied.  
"And it's so challenging too... what's the name of this game again?" he asked.  
"It's called Raiden. I used to be incredible at this game when it was nothing but a fire button, a bomb button and a joystick" she responded, smiling wistfully, then growled as she was blown up. "Of course, back then, it was also a bit easier and your partner watched your back..." she muttered darkly.  
"All's fair in love and videogames Mom" Elk snickered.  
"True enough" Mia sighed, hitting the start button as her last fighter was blown up, starting off with a new plane and three new lives.  
  
Eventually, the pair grew tired of blasting oncoming waves of enemies and the game was turned off, the two returning to watching TV, when a thought entered Mia's mind.  
"Elk, kitten? Did you tell Kite that we'd be taking a break for a week like I asked you to?" she asked. He hugged her close and nodded, his eyes half-lidded. She smiled and got up, taking a pair of cups out of the cabinet and filling them with milk, then putting them in the microwave for a minute and a half. Mia returned with the warm milk and gave a cup to Elk, who drank it down in a few minutes, while Mia took her time with her own drink as Elk dozed off back to sleep. Mia simply smiled down at her best friend in Real Life or in The World as the sun rose over the horizon, finishing off her milk and setting the cups on the coffee table, snuggling down with Elk in the blanket.  
"I love you, sweet kitten" she murmured as she kissed his forehead and closed her eyes. She was on the verge of sleep when Elk answered.  
"I love you too, Mama" he said. Mia smiled and followed Elk into sleep as the sun continued rising in the sky.  
  
Note: YES, Raiden is an actual game, and it belongs to some company or another, I can't remember who right now though. Author's Notes are upcoming!  
  
Finished: 7-31-03 Last Modified: 8-6-03 


	3. The REAL Iron Chefs

Despairing Redemption chapter 3  
  
Elk yawned as he awoke, turning over to watch Mia's chest rise and fall, reveling in the feeling of love he held for his new guardian. After discussing it thoroughly with his parents and talking it over with the courts of Japan (who didn't see any reason to deny the request), Mia was declared Elk's legal guardian. Elk moved slightly so as not to wake her, laying gently on top of her. The catgirl of The World, beloved by her friends and her 'son' Elk, slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her little love, kissing the top of his head and relishing the feel of his skin against hers, the two of them having been sleeping in the nude with each other since about three weeks after they had become 'mother' and 'son'.  
Elk purred, a habit he'd picked up from Mia, as he took a nipple into his mouth, suckling fondly as she stroked his hair and purred back. Mia didn't lactate for real, but Elk didn't mind too much, the simple action being enough to keep him calm. Of course, those scientists that Mia had told him about had been working on remedying that and she'd signed up to get the first hormone treatments.  
Mia had informed him that she had some money stockpiled away in mutual funds, totaling about 20 million in yen (a little over US$188,000), so she had more than enough to pay for a high spot on the treatment list. Truth be told, she had already gotten her first treatment and the doctors had told her it would kick in right about... now.  
Elk squealed in surprise and pulled off Mia's nip, watching a stream of white breast milk trickle out of where he nursed, before he smiled and returned to suckling even harder now, causing Mia to moan, watching Elk sport a half a stick and a smile. Finally, he finished his meal and looked up at his love, who kissed him gently, rubbing his length.  
"Good morning kitten" she murmured, enjoying watching Elk squirm as he leaked pre. Elk sighed happily, yelping as she swatted his bare ass playfully and moved his head to her other nip, already dribbling milk. Elk latched on readily and nursed for all he was worth, Mia moaning in response as she grew wet. She squeezed his rear before starting to pump his maleness. Elk moaned loudly, nibbling on her nip, panting. "Yes kitten. . . cum for me. . . cum for your Mama" she growled into his ears. Elk cried out and spurted his seed onto her thigh, his body shuddering in escasty. "Good kitten. . . so good for your Mama" she murmured, picking up a bit of his cream and offering it to him. Elk sucked it off her finger readily, sighing happily as Mia took the rest up and swallowed it. Elk kissed his guardian gently, and got a hug in return, the pair purring in unison.  
"Good morning Mama" Elk responded finally. Mia smiled and squeezed his rump before giving him another playful swat.  
"C'mon kitten, time to get up" Mia said after stroking his hair again.  
"Do I have to get dressed?" he asked with a smirk.  
"Brat!" Mia answered, tickling him. Elk giggled and tried to shield himself, before yielding and rolling off of his love.  
"Today's the day, isn't it?" he asked once he was dressed in street clothes.  
"It is indeed... when are Kite and the others coming over so we can show them our place?" Mia returned, similarly attired.  
"In about. . ." Elk began, then looked at the clock, "a half-hour."  
"Is the stuff packed up well enough, do you think?" she asked, examining their new restauant equipment with a critical eye.  
"I think a better question would be can we fit it all into the van?" Elk laughed. Mia snickered and stretched, the two of the them settled down and watched TV until a knock was heard at the door. "Come on in!" Elk called. They heard the door open and a girl yell in surprise as she tripped over a box. Mia and Elk winced and got up as Kite helped BlackRose to her feet.  
"Ya should have warned us!" the 15-year-old Heavy Blade fumed.  
"You should have watched where you were stepping" a tall blonde 29- year-old woman answered.  
"Shut it Gardenia" BlackRose retorted. The muscled Long Arm smirked in answer. Mia cleared her throat pointedly to get the two to stop bickering as Kite and Elk began lifting boxes and carrying them out the door to the open van.  
"You're not here to fight, you're here because we trust you and like you enough to let you and everyone else have a part in this, as it's important to Elk and I. Do you think you could stop sniping at each other long enough to help?" Mia requested.  
"Yes" Gardenia said simply, picked up one of the largest boxes with Kite's help and packed it out the door after a little maneuvering, as Elk and BlackRose took the other large box of the pile. Mia herself heaved up a box of her own, and in another few minutes, they had managed to stuff and fit all 14 boxes in the van and still have room for the quintet of friends. It was a short 20 minute drive to the restaurant, which already had a lovingly hand-painted sign above it, proclaiming it "The Mac Anu Alleyway Restaurant".  
"Who did the sign?" Gardenia queried. Elk raised his hand timidly and Gardenia cracked a rare smile, tousling his hair.  
"Nice. . . lends a very. . . homey touch to the place" Kite commented. Elk grinned and led the way to the backdoor, everyone carrying boxes.  
"Hey. . . who's gonna open the door? we've all got our hands full here" BlackRose said.  
"Way ahead of you, hon" Mia answered, giving the back door a swift kick with her foot. It was pulled open seconds later by a gothy looking 23- year-old Matrix wannabe, black shades, black trenchcoat and all.  
"Hey there Keanu" Elk said mockingly.  
"Up yours Caribou" answered the man.  
"Be nice Sanjuro" Mia said.  
"Sorry Mia, but you know I can't stand being compared to that two-bit actor, Matrix trilogy or not" Sanjuro responded.  
"The look is too close for me to NOT make fun of you. . . sorry Sanjuro" Elk said apologetically.  
"Me too. . . sorry Elk" Sanjuro responded.  
"Can we get these heavy things inside already?" Kite asked.  
"Yeah. . . go ahead and put the things on the counters, I'll go get a box or two myself" Sanjuro said, slipping out as the others went inside.  
  
That night, the restaurant was packed, players of The World coming from all over, well, the world to be a part of opening night. There were players from Brazil, the United States, Japan of course, England, and many other places, which made it all the more fun as players that had only met in The World were now able to meet each other face to face at this unique and new restaurant.  
This turned out to present a new situation: the problem with different languages. Oh well, that's why they'd gotten several TV's put around the 2-story restaurant, along with a large multipanel screen, which began to bring up text of Elk's speech as he spoke, the equipment being operated in a room in the back by Sanjuro, who had been hired on as their technical person, having been working around the gear since he was 13.  
"Hello to everyone and welcome to The Mac Anu Alleyway! Those of you who have been to the area just to the right of the Spell shop there know what we mean. Anyway, this place is to be one of many, if this restaurant is going to be as successful as we hope it will be. For those of you old enough and have the proper I.D., we have a bar to my left, carrying alcohol which has been renamed to fit The World accordingly. For those that may have their own currency and would like it converted into Yen for the duration of their stay in Japan, there's currency converters next to each of the double doors to the north, east and west. Oh, and one more thing, enjoy!" Elk said, pacing and making gestures, losing himself in the grandeur of it all. Mia pulled him aside after he replaced the microphone and walked off stage to applause, only to give him a noogie. Elk squirmed until Mia let him go, giving him a hug.  
"Well kitten, are you ready?" Mia asked. Elk took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
"Ready as I'll ever be, Mama" he answered and she kissed him gently on the lips. Sanjuro, Kite, BlackRose and Gardenia came up then, the latter three in aprons, as they were part of the cooking team. They also looked worried at the sight of the massive crowd.  
"Hey, don't look so nervous. . . I called for some backup" Mia informed them as a crew of people in cooks' garb came in through the western doors, joining the rest of the group.  
"Ready to go when you are Mia!" proclaimed a gangly 14-year-old geek.  
"Good to hear Piros. . . ready everyone? Here we go!" she shouted, pumping a fist in the air.  
"HOOYAH!" answered everyone else, doing likewise and taking their places.  
  
- - - - - Hours later. . . - - - - -  
  
The group of friends and allies sat around, more than a few of them soaked in sweat. They'd had some close calls with orders, and more than a few times had almost knocked each other down rushing back and forth, trying to feed and entertain a good 1,500 people, when a saving grace showed up: Balmung himself had shown up with his own friends and allies, including Mimiru, Bear, Tsukasa, BT and, of all people, Sora, who wasn't psychotic for once.  
Balmung's crew had set to work as well, taking orders and running around trying to accomodate everyone as fast as they could. Bear had joined Gardenia behind the bar to help her out, which, although Gardenia never said anything, Bear knew she had appreciated the help.  
After everyone had left, Balmung, Kite and Moonstone had pushed together some tables and pulled up some chairs for a conference between the groups.  
"I think I speak for our group when I say thanks for the help" Kite said bluntly.  
"Glad to be of help, because this place interested us too" Mimiru answered.  
"How'd you hear about the place anyway?" BlackRose inquired.  
"10 million players of The World in Japan, you don't think we'd hear about the first restaurant being built? No way we could miss out on this!" Subaru answered.  
"Well, how'd you like to work here then?" Mia offered. The other group blinked, then Bear caled a huddle, murmurs being heard as they discussed the opportunity. After a few minutes, the group seperated and sat back in their seats, stone-faced.  
"Well?" Elk asked in a monotone. Ginkan cracked a smile.  
"Sounds like fun. . . when do we start?" BT asked with a smile of her own.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Well, that's it, it's now officially over! And please, don't ask me if I'm going to write a sequel or anything, because odds are I won't unless my muses beat the daylights out of me with the inspiration stick.  
  
This is T'laren, hoping you enjoyed this series.  
  
Ja ne minna-san! 


End file.
